


Snow Castle Falls

by Meli_writes, Synergetic_Prose, tybalt_tisk



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: All The Tropes, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Romance, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, every trope ever, hallmark shallura, rocky relationship lotura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28303809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meli_writes/pseuds/Meli_writes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synergetic_Prose/pseuds/Synergetic_Prose, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tybalt_tisk/pseuds/tybalt_tisk
Summary: In this winter romance, Allura, an innovator and business owner, discovers that her relationship with her Fiancé is not doing well. A chance encounter with Shiro, a small-town mechanic, leads to her discovering self-worth, true love, and what a very merry Christmas actually looks like. Inspired by Hallmark Movies.
Relationships: Allura/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 48
Kudos: 34





	1. Merry Car Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise! I had this idea that I wanted to write the most cheesiest, trope heavy, cliche in every way Hallmark Movie that has our favorite couple as center stage. I also wanted to do my first collaboration with some seriously talented creators Meli_writes and Synergetic_Prose. So we put our brains together and came out with this absolute masterpiece. We hope you guys enjoy reading because we definitely enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Starting us out, Meli brings us our first chapter.

“This is fine,” Allura said through clenched teeth.

She said those words, again and again, to herself up until she reached her car. Maybe if she kept repeating it, she could deceive herself into actually believing that it was true; this was fine. Everything was fine. She paused when she reached out towards the door handle when the light caught sight of the expensive engagement ring that burdened her hand.

Her brows slightly furrowed.

Lotor hadn’t called her this morning, and he probably wouldn’t until well after dinner. It was very likely he wouldn’t even notice her late arrival if she got on the road now. And if he did notice, he would surely understand that a call from the Bolivian Ambassador would take priority over catching her flight. Besides, he made a similar choice that morning when he decided to pursue a work opportunity and go to the ski resort where they were vacationing for the holiday a day early.

Without her.

She took in another deep breath. A mini winter road trip might be exactly what she needed to get her into a proper festive mood for their Christmas vacation.

Yes, this was fine.

This could work.

As she placed her designer bag in the passenger’s seat, a sparkle caught her eye, and she couldn’t help but once again admire the sweet snow globe she had nestled carefully in her bag. Inside stood a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with a red bow on top surrounded by colorful presents of different shapes and sizes. Carefully, she picked it out of her bag before she shook the tiny world. For the first time since this series of unfortunate events began, a genuine smile came to her face as the snow fell slowly around the beautiful scenery. Her secretary said it was on her desk with a note that read, “For Allura” in beautiful script penmanship when she arrived that morning.

Lotor must have left her this gift to make up for leaving early.

It warmed her heart to know that he at least went to the resort with a heavy heart about having to leave without her, and the sweet snow globe was a loving and thoughtful gesture. Most importantly, it meant that their relationship still had hope. They just both needed to put forward the initiative to work on...them. This was a good first step. It was a lovely gift, and while she wished she was on her first-class trip to the resort, this was fine. This beautiful snow globe would be the perfect companion for her impromptu holiday road trip.

This could work.

They could still work.

“This has to work,” she whispered, closing her eyes and touching her forehead against its glass. “Please make this work.” Making a Christmas Wish was something she hadn’t done since she was a child, but now she needed one more than ever. Her relationship was falling apart at the seams and she didn’t have much left to give. She was raised to be a fighter, but now, she wanted to do nothing more than to hang up the gloves.

Another deep breath was all she needed before she strapped in the snowglobe with the seat belt to keep it safe. With a nod, she pressed the start button and listened to the white, mini SUV come to life. Now was the time to get into Vacation Allura mode and what better way to do that than with traditional Christmas music.

“Snowy, music please,” she said politely. She could already feel her spirits lifting.

“What station would you like?” Siri, whom she programmed to go by Snowy, asked smoothly in a deceptively human voice through the speakers of her car.

The glittery snow on her copilot’s tree gleamed and twinkled.

“Top Christmas Songs.” She winked back at the snow globe. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

Festive cheer floated in the air around her and she hummed along as she drove. She didn’t even groan when she hit traffic on the bridge or roll her eyes when yet another car cut her off abruptly. Big Boss Allura might have gotten upset, but this was Vacation Allura with her holiday music, a peppermint mocha drink, and a promising winter getaway with her fiancé.

This was perfectly fine.

An hour into her drive, her phone rang through the car’s speakers disrupting her holiday cheer. Her heart jumped to her throat at the thought of Lotor finally calling her.

“Oh!”

She took a quick glance at the screen on the dashboard and saw the picture of an orange mustached man holding up a tiny version of herself with a mustache pacifier. Not Lotor. The familiar but overwhelming sense of disappointment filled her.

“Snowy, hold the music, please.” Masking her grief with a grin and a perfectly deceptive tone, she answered the call. “Coran! Happy Christmas to you!”

“And to you as well, my dear!” her father figure greeted. “Did you get my gift before dashing through the snow off to your vacation?” Regardless of the holiday, he always made sure to have a pun hidden somewhere in the conversation.

“Oh, did you drop off a present at the apartment?” She leaned forward with a secretive smile even though he couldn’t see her. “Is it something sparkly?”

“Of course it’s sparkly!” he chuckled at her excitement. “I left it with your secretary last night. Did she not put it on your desk this morning?”

Her brows came together in confusion, and she could feel her heart start to sink again. “...My desk?”

Allura turned to the snow globe in the passenger’s seat, her jovial smile faltering.

“‘Lu?”

“Oh.” At the very least her voice sounded surprised rather than crushed. But maybe there was another gift that was missed! Maybe there was something else Coran had given her secretary. “I’m not sure.” She paused. “Maybe…maybe you should tell me what it was?” She hoped that whoever got her Christmas Wish wasn’t some asshole who wanted to see her suffer more than she already had.

With a cheerful and silly, Ho Ho Ho, he said, “Santa must have delivered more presents if you’re not sure! Well, I found this wonderful snow globe at this quaint little…”

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as she made herself take a deep breath. Followed rapidly by another. And another.

“...and it reminded me of the tree you and I decorated with your father in his last years. Remember the one with the big bow on top?”

She forced herself to smile so that he wouldn’t hear the disappointment in her voice. “It was from you, then! I adore it, Coran. And how could I forget that tree? You and Papa fought over who would get to put the bow on top before you both realized the polite, adult thing to do was to let me do it.” She deserved an Oscar for that performance.

“Yes, that’s right.” His musical laugh reached her, and her heart warmed a little with the sound. “How are you, Allura? I know this time of year has been tough the last few years. Are you and Lotor getting ready to board the plane for your romantic getaway?” She could practically hear his eyebrows wiggle.

Talking with Coran always seemed to lift her spirits. Though there was still a heavy weight tugging at the bottom of her heart.

“Yes.” She swallowed before continuing on with her little white lie. “They actually just called our boarding class so I should let you go.” Her words came out in such a rush, she hoped that he could understand it. She would hate to have to repeat her lie. Then, with as much affection as she could muster she added, “Thank you so much for your gift, Coran. You always know exactly what to get me. I’ll treasure it. Always.” That wasn’t a lie.

“Alright, ‘Lu. I love you. Tell Lotor he better spoil you rotten or else he’s getting coal this year.”

Or a brick to the face, Allura thought, but she laughed regardless, grateful that Coran cared enough to say so. “Will do. Love you!”

“Love you,” she heard before hanging up.

The festive music picked up right where it left off, however, it didn't sound as cheerful as it did before. There was a bitter edge to every jingle that was so deafening, she couldn’t even hear her own thoughts. A sigh came out as a groan as she tilted her head back against her seat’s headrest.

The pretty snow globe was from Coran. Of course, it was. Shaking her head, she told herself she wouldn’t cry. Instead, she would make herself feel grateful that she had Coran in her life. Plus, there was still the winter getaway arranged by Lotor.

“This is fine,” she said to herself once again with a shaky voice. And things were fine, but her holiday cheer definitely took a hit. With another sigh, she spoke over the music. “Hey Snowy...Play The Genius Plague on my audiobook app.” The festive music stopped abruptly, and the thrilling story of a CIA agent picked up where she left off.

She didn’t register a single word of it.

*

The drive was uneventful for the next hour.

The scenery, while lovely, did in fact get old and the narrator’s voice was rich but the words were dampened in her ear. What was worse was that her heart felt heavier with every breath she took. She was just… tired. So tired she could feel her eyelids growing heavy and was just about to ask Snowy to look up rest stops when a loud, sputtering sound came from the car’s engine causing her to yelp. The car to jump and slide in the road’s slush for a few feet. Many people tended to freeze up during sudden car situations but Allura was the jump into action sort. Remembering the driving lessons her father taught her, she took her foot off the accelerator and turned into the slide before turning against it to gain control again.

Her heart was racing but she felt the car follow her commands and began making her way to the shoulder of the road. That’s what kept her calm until the car sputtered again. She felt the car lose speed despite her foot being on the accelerator.

“No, no, no…”

The car slowed to a crawl as she finally got to the shoulder before it just completely stopped and shut off entirely.

“Seriously?” Her Christmas Wish definitely made it to the wrong person.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried not to lose her composure. It’s just car trouble, she told herself. She breathed in slowly, held the breath for ten seconds, then slowly let it out. She repeated her calming breaths a couple more times until her body relaxed.

She rolled her shoulders then steeled herself. “Alright.”

She could just look up road-side assistance and then she’d just wait. That was her next logical step and she could do that. It was easy enough. Shaky hands picked up the phone to dail.

This was fine.

Tap-Tap!

Allura jumped at the sound. “Bloody hell!”

She turned to look out the window beside her. A man in a black beanie and a big black winter coat was slightly bent down to her eye level. The stranger had a strong and sharp jawline, with a scar that ran across the bridge of his straight nose. There weren’t many features she could make out, but it was his eyes that held her attention. Warm and bright grey eyes had the bluish hue of sunlight upon slate surrounded by stunningly long black lashes. It seemed like men were always gifted with the most beautiful lashes.

The man waved for her attention and then pointed down.

“Oh, right!” She moved to crack the window open just enough to let her voice be heard over the howling wind.

“Hi there.”

His voice slid over her skin like velvet. It was deep and reminded her of any given no-named hero in a romance novel. A part of her told herself to get it together. The other part told her to take a hike. She was only looking. People went to museums to admire pretty things. That’s all she was doing.

“I saw you swerve and pull over. I wanted to see if you were alright and if you might have needed some help.”

Allura looked back and saw a black Jeep pulled up behind her car. The last thriller audiobook she listened to came to mind along with the creepy and clever stalker. Pretty people could still hurt others.

“Uh…”

She must have made a face because he took a step back. “You don’t need to get out of the car.” For extra measure, he lifted his gloved hands good-naturedly. “If you’d like, you can just pop the hood and I’ll take a look in to see what happened.” He smiled at her, careful to keep his distance to ease her. “Maybe you just need a jump and then you can be on your way again.”

She squinted at him feeling pleased to have seen his smile, but suspicious of this random guy stopping to “help”.

“Is anyone in the car with you?” she asked him skeptically.

He raised a thick brow in confusion. “What?”

Allura rolled up her window a smidgeon with a wary look. “I listen to one too many true crime podcasts to not be suspicious of the Good Samaritan.”

He chuckled, and she had to tell herself not to fall for the act. Serial Killers have beautiful laughs, too. Ted Bundy’s laugh was rated top three of the most charming laughs of all time. She wasn’t going to be fooled by this handsome stranger. She wasn’t going to be a statistic. She was going to be the one that made it.

“You’re a crime junkie, too, then?” She forgot that he was speaking to her. But she was grateful that he was trying to lighten the mood. “That’s fine by me. It’s good that you’re suspicious.” He gestured back to his Jeep with his thumb. “I only have my dog, Kosmo, in the car with me. He’s a little on the old side so he’s more sleepy than he is ferocious these days. I could bring him to you if you’d like me to prove it or you could call someone and let them know what’s going on while I take a look. I could even go sit in my car and wait with you for the tow truck to come.” He chose his next words carefully, and she could tell that he truly meant it. “Whatever makes you feel safe.”

She turned back to look at his car again and saw a snow-white dog in the passenger’s seat. She looked back at him and his gentle smile. “The dog stays in the jeep.”

He feigned a serious frown before he looked awkwardly back at Kosmo then he lowered his voice as if the dog could hear him from that distance. “You’ll hurt his little, old feelings,” he said in a hushed voice. “Listen, he has a main-character complex, and he’ll take it personally if you don’t like him. How are your acting skills?” He doesn’t even know that he was speaking to the queen of acting, does he? “Can you at least pretend to like him?”

There was a hidden charm in his voice that put her slightly at ease. She gave a weary smile. “I’ll do my best to pretend so I can...spare his feelings. In the meantime, I’ll call my uncle while you take a look.” She paused before she continued. “Thank you for offering to help.”

He smiled. “Happy to help, Princess,” the man said with a wink and a click of his tongue before walking to the front of her car.

She looked taken aback. “Princess?” What a ridiculous nickname. Her eyes narrowed slightly. He didn’t look like he was in need but the choice in nickname made her cautious. “Better to be careful,” she murmured under her breath. She quickly took off her expensive engagement ring and placed it in her glove compartment just in case he turned out to be a creep and wanted to take away one thing she held dear.

...Sometimes.

If she were being completely honest with herself, if he asked for her ring she wouldn’t even think twice about handing it over. She wouldn’t even feel guilty about it. She shook her head as she picked up her phone from the cup holder it had fallen into when he startled her.

“I’ll have to ‘fess up,” she idly groaned. The phone rang while she watched the stranger standing there at the front of her car. “Oh, the hood, of course!”

She popped it open. He gave a wave of thanks, and she flushed at her error.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting a call so soon my dear! Are you at the resort already?”

Hearing Coran’s voice brought out her embarrassment. “Uh, no Coran, not exactly. I actually ended up having to drive to the resort. I’m on the highway at mile marker 45. My car is having an issue and someone kindly offered to take a look to see what happened.”

“Ah yes, so naturally you’re calling me in case the kind stranger is a deranged serial killer on the prowl for a beautiful, young woman.” He always knew exactly what to say, didn’t he?

Allura laughed at Coran’s words and felt her body relax as she heard some ruckus from the stranger under the hood. “Yes, exactly.” She was glad they were on the same page. “Have you made note of my location?”

“Yes, indeed, my dear. Go ahead and turn on your location tracker for me while you’re sitting there.”

“Done,” she said as she hit the allow button, “Well, I suppose you’ll be asking me a few questions now, won’t you?”

“Afraid so, Sprout.” His voice was soft and concerned. He only called her by her childhood nickname when he was about to go into lecture mode. “Why are you driving to the resort alone?”

Allura sighed for the millionth time that day. “I guess I kind of do have time to explain now that I’m stranded.”

“I would say so,” Coran said with a chuckle and she took note of how stiff it sounded.

Sometimes talking with Coran made her feel like a little girl, again. Both in a good and in a bad way. But right now it was definitely in a good way. She reclined the back of her seat a little but not too much so that she couldn’t keep an eye on the stranger working on her car.

“Lotor left me a note this morning informing me that he was going to the resort a day early.” She picked up the snow globe and swirled it, idly watching the flakes spin around through sharp eyes. “He found out that some senator would be there, too, and he wanted to try to meet with him.” She sighed. “He said that it could be another opportunity to get a US city to include our company’s Solar-Q panels in their infrastructure.”

“Ahh. You’re upset that he put work over going away together,” he said as a matter of fact.

“Well yes. The whole point of this getaway was to get away from work, not run to it.” She put the snow globe back on the chair. “Is that a stupid thing to get upset about, Coran? It’s not like he disappeared or anything, you know? And if his meeting goes well, we may have a big celebration ahead of us.”

“No, he only made a decision that would affect you without discussing it with you. Then he just started a potentially romantic vacation with his amazingly wonderful, and waaaaay out of his league fiancée, with work. A classic case of work over love. Nothing to be upset over, dear,” he said oozing with sarcasm.

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly, ‘Ran.” she rubbed her brow and listened to the tinkering under the hood of her car.

“Oh bugger, I’m sorry, ‘Lu.” At least he was back to her much more preferred nickname. “I probably should refrain from using sarcasm. It doesn’t help much, does it?”

“No apology necessary. You’re right and we both know it.”

“Is the ‘we’ you’re referring to you and I, or you and Lotor?”

“You and I. Like minds and all that.” She saw the man start to walk back over to her window. “Oh, he’s back. One sec, Coran.”

Allura lowered the window a little more than she did before, and was grateful when he stood in front of it and blocked the wind. “What’s your diagnosis, doc? Will she make it?” Her playful tone was the least she could do after accusing him of being a deranged man on the loose.

The man grinned at her. “I think giving her a jump will help you make it to a town nearby. It’s looking like your alternator may have to be replaced so let’s see if the jump will get her going.” He teetered on the balls of his feet. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”

“Sounds good, my boy!” Coran’s voice rang out from the car’s speakers surprising Allura, and the man standing beside her car.

Allura laughed. “Well, you heard the man. Let’s give it a shot. Any chance the car would make it another couple hours?”

“I wouldn’t recommend traveling far without having the car properly maintenanced.” The man sighed, and a cloud of his warm breath floated up and away. “The closest town is just off the next exit. There are a few shops to choose from and have the car looked at. I’ll move my jeep.” He started to walk away but then stepped back. He leaned closed again. “Oh, and be sure to wave at Kosmo while we pass by or you’ll hurt his feelings.”

Allura laughed again and agreed. She rolled her window up as he walked back to his car.

“‘Lu, you should lower the volume for a second on this call.”

“Lower it?” she asked as she turned the volume down, “Why? Are you trying to gossip now?” Coran was her favorite gossiping buddy but now was not the time. However, she would make time.

“Well, I just wanted to say that that man’s voice sounded like aged whiskey,” Coran swooned. “Do his looks match that velvety voice?”

Allura snorted at that and shook her head, “My stars, Coran.”

“What? You’re engaged, not dead. Now, tell me before he comes back, and don’t forget to wave, for stars’ sake.”

“Ok, he’s drop-dead gorgeous,” she admitted, “and my palms are sweaty after talking to him,” she finished in a rush. She heard Coran laugh as she saw the car and the dog go by. She waved at the dog and grinned when she saw the dog’s tail flicked excitedly behind him. “Aw, his dog smiled at me when I waved.” She sounded almost excited.

“Ancients, the man might just be perfect.” Coran hummed. “By the way, which car are you driving, again? I could have sworn the fleet was up to date.”

“I took the white Forester.” She lightly bit her thumbnail. “Was I not supposed to?”

“Ahhhh… yes, that car broke down on me the other day. It was supposed to be taken to a mechanic in the city but I guess someone else will have to look at it now.”

“Aw man, we should probably get ‘Out of Service’ signs to make sure people don’t take a car that’s due for maintenance,” she shook her head with a laugh.

“‘Lu, it was on the left side of the lot. That is the Out of Service sign.”

“I forgot, alright?” she huffed out. “I was in a hurry.”

“Maybe you should get his number, you know in case your car breaks down before you make it to a mechanic,” he said and Allura watched the man do a K turn to pull up in front of her car. “By the way,” Coran continued, “I looked up a town near you. It looks like there are a couple of mechanic shops you can go to. There’s also a welcome center. Maybe someone there can recommend a shop to you.”

“That sounds like a plan” Finally something was going her way. “Send me the welcome center’s address and I’ll set the GPS.”

“Already done!”

Allura entered the address and smiled as she watched the man get out of his car. He waved his jumper cables with a bright smile. Suddenly deciding she wanted to get out, she connected her phone to her Bluetooth headphones, “Coran, I want to watch him put on the cables, so I’ve got you on my headphones.”

“Okay, dear,” Coran said quietly as if the man could overhear them. “I’ll keep an ear out with you.”

Stepping out of her car, she felt her designer heels sink into the slush. Her legs wobbled before she came up with a new strategy; with each step, she made sure she planted her feet to ensure she wouldn’t lose her footing. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her middle to shield herself from the wind. She was still in her work clothes: a black pencil skirt, a cashmere green sweater, and a long dark wool coat. Not her warmest outfit but, then again, she didn’t plan on missing her flight, or having to drive several hours, only to be stranded on the side of the road. Deep breaths, Altea.

“Hello,” she called out.

She stood by while he attached the cables to his car. He turned towards her with an unreadable expression before looking her up and down, taking note of her clothes. “Yeah, just as I thought.” His voice took on a serious tone.

“What is it?” she asked in concern, looking over his shoulder at her engine.

“Princess definitely suits you,” he said lightly, careful to keep his voice friendly. He then turned his attention towards Kosmo. “Looks like we’ve gained her trust, buddy!” The dog barked in return but stayed put inside the warm jeep.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” she said, matching his tone. “I’ve still got my eyes on you.” They both shared a laugh before she spoke again. “Also, I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me. I would have been stuck out here waiting for hours if it weren’t for you. So I really appreciate it.”

He held the other end of jumper cables before clamping them to her dead battery. “Not a problem,” he said, making sure the cables were secure on both ends. “Happy to help. I’m just glad that you made it out of that okay. These roads can be dangerous for people who aren’t used to them.”

“Yeah, me too.” Out of nervous habit, her fingers brushed the stray hair out of her face. Her hair always seemed to be her safety blanket when she was feeling anxious. She sent him a smile, and he sent it right back. Both stood there like that for a moment, surrounded by the falling snow and the rushing wind.

The man cleared his throat before he spoke again. “I noticed you had a lot of techy looking things in your car’s trunk,” he started. “Mind if I ask what they are? I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Even if he was masking the awkwardness with sudden conversation, she could tell that he was genuinely interested in her company’s technology.

“Oh, there must be some panels in there from a presentation.” She looked back at the car but turned back to him when she was unable to see through the upright hood. “I don’t mind talking about them but stop me if I start going on and on. I tend to get really excited about these things.” With his encouraging smile, she spoke on. “I run an alternative energy company that was started by my father and uncle years ago. I found a way to collect sustainable energy using these panels, which I named Solar-Q panels.” She patted the top of the car. “Soon we’ll add them to vehicles but this company car doesn’t have it installed at the moment.”

He looked blown away at her words. “Wow, so wait you invented those panels?”

Her cheeks grew warm at the attention. She thought she was used to a roomful of eyes on her in board meetings, so why did one pair from a stranger made her feel shy? Not wanting to test whether she lost her voice as well she merely smiled and nodded.

His amazement was completely unfiltered. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard!” His hands went to either side of his head. “An innovator right in front of me. Man, I’ll have to read up on the panels. They sound like something from a sci-fi movie.”

She found herself speechless and could only think to tuck some hair behind her ear. His praise was making her feel like a schoolgirl.

“You’ve gone quiet,” Coran chuckled. “Are you ogling him while he bends over?”

“Coran!” she hissed under her breath and turned away from the man.

“Whaaat? Did I, as the youth would say, put you on blast?” He’s always just behind the curve of current slang and he never forgets to let it show.

“Stars, Coran, you are too much sometimes!”

“Um, miss?” The man asked behind her and she turned back to him.

“Sorry, my uncle’s on the phone, and he’s just giving me a hard time,” she said shoving her hands into her pockets, shielding them from the cold.

“Oh, no worries. Why don’t you get back in the car?” he suggested. “I’ll tell you when to start it and we’ll try to get you to your uncle’s as fast as we can.”

She nodded. “Right.”

He chuckled and leaned against her car. When she still hadn’t moved, he tilted his head and said, “I’ve got the cables attached. We can get started whenever you’re ready.”

“Oh, you’re ready now?”

Coran laughed in her ears.

“I am if you are,” he said with that smile. Oh stars, was that a dimple in his cheek?

“Yep, ready.” She pointed a finger gun at him before turning away. The cringe hit her immediately and she shook her head at her hand still in finger gun position. “Ugh, just shoot me already,” she grumbled, completely forgetting that Coran was still on the phone with her.

“Aw, ‘Lu, did you embarrass yourself?”

Allura closed the car door louder than she intended to. “Oh, hush, Coran.” He just laughed in her ears again. She sighed in defeat and let out a short laugh. It was either join in or wallow in her awkward moment alone. “I was just standing there like an idiot.” She brought her hands to her face in an attempt to dilute her embarrassment.

“Ok, you can start the car now!” The man called out.

She pressed down the brakes before she pushed the button, and the car roared back to life. “Oh, splendid! It’s back, Coran!”

“Be sure to thank the handsome hero.”

“Of course, I wasn’t raised in the wilds.”

“Alright, that should do it.” The man shut the hood of her car before he walked over to her window. “Think you’ll be able to stop and have the car looked at soon? I really think you should see a mechanic before continuing much further.”

“Yeah, Coran and I checked out the town nearby. I’ll make my way over to the welcome center and ask for a recommendation. Think it’ll be open? Google didn’t list the center’s hours.”

“Well, if you’re going to Snow Castle Falls the center is open 24/7.” He pulled his beanie down a little more to cover his ears. “There are lots of tourists this time of year.”

“Sounds good.” Letting out what she hoped was a grateful smile, she leaned her head out the window to make better eye contact with him. “Thank you for all of your help, and also for not being a deranged serial killer who found his next victim.”

There he went again with that perfect dimpled smile. “It was my pleasure,” he said through a laugh. “Thanks for putting your trust in me, Princess.”

Allura laughed and wondered why they kept standing around smiling at each other. “Ready when you are.”

“Right.” He paused with a laugh. “Take care.”

She watched him walk to the Jeep until it was too awkward for her neck. “Ok, Coran.” She put her phone back into its mount. “I’ll leave my locations on and will call you once I’m at the welcome center.”

“Ok, princess.” She could just see Coran’s mischievous grin. “I will talk to you later.”

The call ended.

She groaned out loud. Dear lord that nickname is catching. She hated to admit how...lovely it sounded when the man spoke it. Without realizing it she grabbed the pendant of her necklace as she thought back to his voice. He sounded just as sweet when he talked so she didn’t think he called her that mean spiritedly. She half wondered what her name would sound like coming from his lips. Would it be sweet? Endearing? Or would it sound sincere and full of everlasting curiosity?

Her brows furrowed a little. “What are you doing?” She muttered to herself. Now was not the time to start fantasizing about a stranger in the middle of nowhere.

She shook her head and let go of her necklace. Her audiobook resumed after she hit start on the map and then she pulled back onto the road. When she was about to pass the Jeep she couldn’t stop herself. She waved at the man and Kosmo as she passed. The man waved back, holding her eyes, as she drove away.

“Oh, bugger.” She pouted slightly. “I didn’t get his name.”

She sighed. Not that I gave my name, either. They were just two strangers on the road. It wasn’t like she was going to see him again. She didn’t get to enjoy the audiobook much as the small town’s welcome center was only fifteen minutes away. But her mood had brightened significantly and she wished the kind stranger a very happy holiday season.

She slowed as she passed the town sign bordered in green leaves and bright red poinsettia garlands.

“Well now, “she whispered in wonder. “This is something.”

Each light post, building, fence, bush, tree were covered in some kind of holiday decoration or lights. She couldn’t help but smile at the festive cheer as she pulled up to the Welcome Center. Being sure to leave the car on she stepped out but not before sending Coran a text that she had made it to town.

The town’s Christmas tree stood nearby and twinkled in the early evening light reminding her of the snow globe still strapped into the passenger’s seat. The center had the scent of sugar cookies in the air making her a little nostalgic...

“Hello, miss.” Allura turned towards the voice to see a beautiful, tall woman wearing a white blouse and a blue sash. The older woman held out her hand for a proper greeting. “Welcome to Snow Castle Falls.” Her voice was calm and evenly paced. “How may I assist you?”

“Hello, my name is Allura Altea.” Taking the woman’s hand, she shook it and was surprised to feel the older woman had a firm grip. “I’m having a bit of car trouble actually. I was hoping to get a recommendation.”

“Welcome Allura,” the woman elegantly dipped her head in a low bow. “I’m Mayor Ryner so I would hope I can assist you.” Ryner let out a soothing chuckle. “If you’re looking for the best,” she continued as she grabbed a map and pen to circle a couple of spots, “I would suggest Shirogane’s shop. It’s about four miles down the road. He should be open for another few hours if he isn’t out running errands. If he isn’t there, I would go ahead and make your way to our local hotel, Snow Fall’s Rest.” She tapped the location on the map. “Hunk and Shay will be sure to feed you and they can also find Shiro for you.”

“Thank you so much, Mayor Ryner.” Her heart fluttered at the amount of hospitality she was being shown. “I don’t think I’ll be staying long but hopefully the mechanic can squeeze me in.” She stuck out her hand. “It was a pleasure speaking with you.”

“Likewise,” the mayor said with another respectful nod. “Oh and, if I may, I’d recommend trying one of our famous Winter Berry pies before you go. After all, it’s our town’s specialty.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Allura snagged a cookie. “I have quite the sweet tooth.”

Driving through town allowed her to see more decorations. Under the shop eaves were more colorful lights, elaborate ornaments, and fake frosted windows with snowmen. She paused to allow a group of kids run across with ice skates hanging from their bags.

“They even have an ice skating rink?”

She couldn’t remember the last time she went to one. But maybe the winter resort had one. There was skiing for sure and a winter gala on Christmas Eve. She might even convince Lotor to dance with her this time.

But first, the car. Then she could have fun.

Finding the mechanic’s shop was easy enough. The fresh snow was still on the ground but she was able to pull the car up to the garage door with no issue. Since she saw the light on in the office space inside, she decided to park the car but left it on just in case she wouldn’t be able to turn it back on.

The door chimed as she opened it, welcoming her in. She double-checked that she was still sharing her location with Coran. She’d text him after finding the mechanic, she decided. At the thought of a text, she checked her phone’s messages.

Nothing from Lotor.

She sighed heavily. A sudden bark startled her, and she looked up from her phone just in time to see a very familiar, very large white dog quickly coming her way.

Instinctively, she took a step back and put her hands out to discourage the approaching, furry giant. “No, you stay.” Her shoes clicked on the tiled floor as she scurried behind the Christmas tree in the waiting area. The dog followed. “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She made a shooing motion. “Go away!”

“Kosmo, sit.”

The new voice held a certain type of authority she had only heard in the movies. It could command an army of men, but it also demanded their unbridled respect. There was also a hidden familiarity to it.

“Didn’t think I’d see you again so soon.” The voice lost all command and held only kindness with a hint of playfulness.

She froze.

She knew that voice.

She would never be able to forget it. Smooth as silk and sweet as the song of the wind in the rippling wheat. Its already an unforgettable song burned into her memory. Her eyes snapped to the corner of the shop where the voice came from.

She knew him.

Well, she knew him but he was...different. He wasn’t wearing his winter coat or the beanie anymore, and as a twisted joke from the stars, the man just became even more stunning. His hair was mostly black except for the white tuft of hair at the forefront, and the big coat he wore earlier hid a very...athletic figure. Her face heated at the thought.

“Hey, it’s you!” she said after she composed herself. “Don’t tell me you’re having car issues, too. Hopefully, it wasn’t due to helping me out.”

He laughed then and his dimples appeared again. Oh stars, those dimples should be illegal. “Me having car troubles would be bad for business, I think.”

“Bad for business?” Her voice drifted. She looked around the building. It was wide and spacious. Enough for three cars to be serviced at once. On the far wall hung dozens of pictures. Some of the unrecognizable buildings and others of what she guessed were the lovely townspeople. In the center of the wall was a picture of the man and Kosmo smiling in front of a rundown building that she could only assume was the building she stood in now. Then it dawned on her. “Wait, is this your shop?”

Picking up a little note pad and jotting something down, he smiled at the paper. “Welcome to my castle, Princess.”

She fought down the blush that kept trying to take permanent residence on her cheeks. “You’re the best mechanic nearby?”

That made him look up and she saw a light pink wash over his lovely face. “Well, I’m not sure about being the best, but I’m pretty damn good.” Cute and funny? How could she have been so lucky?

Slowly, she eased away from the tree. Kosmo stayed where he was, obedient and observant. Her soon to be mechanic chuckled and pointed to her skirt. Some silver tinsel was stuck to her. She took it off fast and put it back onto the Christmas tree with a muffled apology.

He placed the pencil behind his ear before he stuck his hand out. “Takashi Shirogane, but my friends call me Shiro.”

“Shiro,” she said softly, savoring the taste of his name on her tongue. The random but kind stranger on the road crossed her path again. What were the chances...?

“I could have sworn I said my friends call me that, miss…”

“Oh!” She brought her hands to her mouth. “Pardon me, Mr. Shirogane. Um, my name is Allura,” she said stepping up to the desk with her hand outstretched.

He took her hand and shook it firmly with a laugh. “I’m just messing with you, Allura.” She wasn’t surprised that he made her name sound like the most beautiful name in the universe, but that didn’t stop her heart from beating so fast. “You can call me whatever you like.”

She laughed softly and it was only then that she noticed that the hand that held hers was a metal prosthetic. “Okay then, Shiro it is,” she started, feeling her tongue tingle at the new word. She was starting to like this name. “Think you can help me with my car again?”

“I thought I might have the part your car needs lying around, but it looks like the last one I had in my inventory was just installed earlier this afternoon.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “I’ll have to place an order for it, but it probably won’t arrive for another few days. You should give your uncle a call, and let him know where you are. I can explain the car issues further in a second, right now, I should probably move your car into the garage.” He held out his open palm. “May I have your keys?”

Allura felt a wave of disappointment rush over her. She sighed. Now she’d have to call Lotor that she’ll be late by days and not hours. She restrained the urge to reach for her hair. That callback was not going to be fun.

“Allura?”

“Oh, my keys!” She dug them out of her bag. “Yes, here you go.”

He gripped the keys in his hand but his eyes never left hers even as he spoke out. “Hey, Kosmo.” The dog let out a bark. “Be a good boy to the lady and you’ll get a cookie for your services.” He finally broke eye contact before he stepped around her to her car.

The giant, white dog casually walked over to Allura, then sat down beside her waiting for his next command.

She eyed him nervously. “Good boy,” she said nervously. She thought about giving the giant dog a cautious pat, but in the end, decided against it. When the dog laid down next to her feet she asked, “Would you like to break the news to Lotor? I shall give you five cookies for your services. Hell, I’ll give you a whole jar’s worth.”

The dog placed his paw on her foot. She generally didn’t like big dogs so close to her. But her heart did melt a bit at the gesture. “Alright, I’ll do it.” She bit her lip. “Unless maybe he already…?” She checked her texts and voicemails.

One gif from Coran. Nothing from Lotor.

Not even to ask where I am? Hours later and not a peep from him. She clenched her phone tightly. “Bastard,” she hissed between her teeth. It was always her reaching out, wasn’t it?

“...Is this not a good time?”

She sucked in air. Shiro was standing in the waiting area with two mugs in his hands. “Oh, I’m sorry. No, it’s fine. Well, no I’m actually -” her other hand clenched her pencil skirt, “I’m just angry. But not with you.”

“Not a problem.” He came over to sit beside her. “Just wasn’t expecting to hear the B-word when I walked in.”

He lifted a mug to her.

Their fingertips brushed accidentally. She nearly dropped the mug. He looked a little sheepish but didn’t mention it. The scent of hot cocoa in the air had a calming effect on her. When she took a sip she decided she wouldn’t let Lotor sour her mood. Not when everyone she had spoken to on this trip had been so kind. No, she needed to lighten the mood.

This could still be fine.

“That’s fair.” She sucked in a group of mini marshmallows. “But I should warn you that it’s one of my favorite words to shout when I accidentally hurt myself.”

“Mmm yes.” He nodded sagely. “I read an article once that said cursing does help a person tolerate pain, so that sounds right.”

“You’re encouraging a bad habit.” She turned the mug around. “Any luck with the car part magically showing up?”

“Sorry, Princess.With this make and model, I can’t use my generic parts. It needs to be ordered but that’ll take three to five days.” He took a drink of his cocoa. “You should check out Hunk and Shay’s b&b. I think their brand of hospitality will be right up your alley.”

“Yes, that’s what the mayor recommended as well.” She stared into her mug. “I suppose I will be staying for a while.”

“I’ll work on your car as soon as the part comes in,” he promised.

Her smile was genuine this time. “I’d appreciate it.” She finished her mug and handed it to him. “I should go. It’s getting dark outside.”

“Yeah, it is.” He got up and went to a sink in the back.

Allura was fixing her coat when she saw Shiro with his coat and Kosmo’s leash. “Are you both heading out, too?”

“Well, there’s fresh snow on the ground and the hotel would be quite a walk in those shoes, I’d wager. I can give you a ride.” She started protesting. He quickly added, “I have to head over there anyway.”

“Oh, well, if you’re heading that way already, then yes, that sounds splendid.” The stars were starting to finally align in her favor. “I’ll just send a quick text to Coran.”

She retrieved her bags from the car and tucked in her precious snowglobe into the folded clothes for extra cushion before she followed Shiro out to his jeep. Kosmo walked in sync with her, careful to keep his distance from the apprehensive stranger. His actions perfectly mirrored Shiro’s from when she met him just a few hours earlier.

He really had this dog trained, didn’t he?

She followed Shiro to the Jeep’s passenger side. He opened the door and offered out his hand; the one made of flesh and bone. “I hope this carriage is good enough for a Princess. Or should I get my horse and carriage?”

A warm laugh came from her lips before she placed her hand delicately in his, ignoring the spark she hasn’t felt in years racing through her body.

“No, this is perfectly fine.”


	2. Splendid Ice Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura decides that she's finally going to enjoy her vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Hey, Hello Everyone! We're back again with another amazing chapter! This one is brought to you by the lovely Syne! This is such a cute chapter to work on. We absolutely adore it! We hope you all do as well!

Shiro had long since parked and gotten out but Allura remained in the passenger seat. Upon the roof of this two-story, Victorian-style house were lit reindeer prancing, dancing, tossing their heads up while the leader’s nose pulsed a small, distinguished red light and the sleigh gently rocked as if floating up on clouds.

“Princess?”

She jumped a little upon seeing Shiro by the window. “Stop popping out of nowhere.”

He chuckled as he opened the Jeep door. “Ya know, for someone with a borderline unhealthy addiction to crime podcasts, you sure do lack basic spatial awareness skills.” He offered her his arm for stability for the terrain he knew all too well.

She took his arm with a slight pout at his words. “I’m as aware as a stranger in a new town and broken down car can be expected to be.” She looked back at the yard. “What is this place?”

“Santa’s workshop.” She could feel her eyes rolling. He stepped aside and grinned. “I’m serious. Take a look.”

She looked at him with a lifted brow then stepped forward. Her lips immediately parted in awe. The front yard was a miniature town with synchronized motions of what she supposed was a dance in the town square. She crouched down to get a better look, taking in the intricate detail put into every peculiar character. The dancers had ridiculous striped candy cane hats and pointed ears.

Shiro crouched next to her. “This is the North Pole.”

Allura tilted her head in a quick search for Santa, but when she didn't find him she turned back to Shiro with a wry grin. "Santa must be away delivering gifts, otherwise the elves would be working instead of dancing.

He let out a chuckle. “Well, last year Hunk, one of the owners, did do the actual workshop but his wife, Shay, felt so sorry for the little elves slaving away every night. So he changed it to a more jovial time. A vacation.” He lightly bumped his elbow to her upper arm. “Like what you’re doing.”

“What makes you think I’m traveling for a vacation?” She challenged with a shoulder bump to his arm. “What if it’s work-related?”

“First off,” with a balance she did not possess, he shifted so his elbow was on the top of his knee and his chin in his palm, “no one travels on that highway for work. Secondly,” he looked down at her shoulder bag, “someone with a Gucci bag would have traveled for work on a plane first class.”

She primly sniffed. “It’s Chanel.”

“I’ll take your word for it, Princess.” He straightened up. “Let’s get you checked in.”

Once again, he offered his arm.

And once again, she accepted it.

“If I’m to have a nickname, then so should you.” She looked down where her hand was around his forearm, taking in their regal stroll. “Something knightly. No.” She tapped a manicured finger to her chin. “Paladin.”

“Oh.” He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m no paladin.”

“We could roll and see,” she joked automatically then clasped a hand over her mouth.

His head whipped to her so fast. “Oh my god. You’ve played DnD?”

“Not exactly.”

“Pathfinder?”

“Shiro.” There was a hidden warning in her voice that he was too distracted to pick up on. “Just forget I said anything.”

“You were probably the DM.” He stroked his chin with his free hand. “Definitely the control sort.”

“...Coran liked to be the DM too much for me to try.” In her mind, she traveled back to her father’s living room, where he sat at their elegant table with a prop sword around his waist and a dark cloak on. Coran, with a blue velvety cape, sat behind his wall of binders hiding the details of the game’s story. Half the time she sat in either of their laps, even rolling for Coran when she felt like it. She remembered her father’s roaring laughter when he finally defeated a challenge Coran planned for the group. She gave a slow blink and just like that, she was back to the present, a ghost of a smile on her face. She idly watched Shiro ring the doorbell. “In any case, it’s been ages. I’ve not played since -”

Her abrupt cut off made him pause in knocking. “Princess?”

She turned her head away from him as her heart clenched tightly. Her father’s laughter lived only in her memories now. “...It’s nothing.” She cleared her throat, pushed the emotion back down with a stubborn foot, and steeled herself. “It’s been too long, is all. I don’t have much to offer on that topic.”

Before Shiro had the chance to respond, the front door opened to reveal a smiling man with an orange bandana and apron of a gingerbread man. “Shiro! You came!” Allura quickly let go of Shiro’s arm so the two could embrace.“Oh! And you finally brought a girlfriend with you!”

They opened their mouths at the same time to respond only to be cut off by the other.

“Oh, no, we’re not -”

“She’s not -”

Allura sucked her lips inward to allow Shiro to do the introduction. “This is Allura. She’s getting her car fixed at my workshop so she needs a place to stay. Allura, this is Hunk.”

“Ohhh,” Hunk said as realization dawned on him. “You’re a customer! Welcome!” He then pulled her in for a surprise, short hug. She let out a shocked sound at the action. It didn’t last long and she stumbled backward when she was let go. Quickly, Shiro placed his hand to the curve of her back to steady her and she felt her face grow warm at the touch.

“Well, I’ll let you two do business.” Shiro’s hand left her. She felt the cold where his hand had been, instantly missing his touch even though she knew she shouldn’t. “Hunk, it’s the heater you said?”

The man smiled. “Yup.”

“You were experimenting again?”

He paired his smile with finger guns. “Always.”

Shiro sighed. “One of these days I won’t be able to fix it.” He turned to Allura. “See you around, Princess. Hunk and Shay will take good care of you.”

“Thank you for driving me here.”

Shiro smiled and gave a half-cocked salute. She watched him go down a flight of stairs to what she assumed was the basement.

“Ok then, little missy, let’s get you checked in.” Hunk quickly went behind a counter to the right side of the entrance and pressed a small button, one that was hidden to the untrained eye on the side of the desk. A fraction of a second later, a thin screen came up from a narrow slot in the wood. Allura stepped closer in fascination at the marvelous displays of ingenuity. “Is your stay for business or pleasure?” he asked, blinking at her with excitement.

Her eyes almost darted to where Shiro had gone but she caught herself at the last minute. “Does it affect what type of room I get?”

“Well, we try to keep the business folk on one side so they’re not disturbed by kids or just general family ruckus.” Hunk let out a laugh. “But we usually don’t get a lot of business folk anyway, so it’s just a couple of rooms to choose from with that option.”

“I’m just passing through. Like Shiro said, my car broke down so I’m only staying until it’s fixed.”

Hunk nodded. “Right, right. But you could still sightsee in the meantime. We’re a small town, but there’s plenty to do here around Christmas time.” He looked at her directly over the top of the screen with a glint in his eyes. “Good people to get to know better.”

Her face flushed a little. “I’m sure there are.” She opened her purse for her wallet. “I’d like a room with a view of the town if that’s possible; doesn’t matter which part of the inn I’m placed in.”

There was a beeping sound from further in the house, causing Hunk’s eyes to widen comically as he brought his hands to his head. “My cookies! Sorry, sorry just one sec!” he said quickly before he dashed off.

Allura awkwardly stood in the entryway until a woman around her age came from the left side of the house. Her hair was in a dark brown bob with light brown eyes that looked like dark amber. “Hello, you must be Allura.” The woman smiled warmly, sticking her hand out. “I’m Shay, the main owner. My husband sent a message that you’re looking for a room. I’m sorry for the wait.”

“Yes, I am. It’s no problem at all.” Allura let out a small smile despite her tiredness. “Burnt cookies would be a crime against humanity.”

Shay laughed merrily. “It really would be.” She tapped deftly on the screen. “Hunk said you wanted a room with a view?”

“If it's no trouble, then yes, I would love a room with a view.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” she reassured. “How long would you like to stay?”

“Until my car is fixed.” Allura fussed with her wallet. “But Shiro said the part would come in three to five days.”

“We can set it for five just in case,” Shay said, tapping through the options on the screen. “Just let me know if you need to leave earlier or later than that; we’re pretty flexible around here.”

“I appreciate it,” she said, reaching into her Chanel wallet. “Here’s my card.”

“Thank you.” Shay let the screen scan it then she gave it back to Allura. “We won’t charge it until the moment you check out. Are you hungry?”

Allura’s stomach growled in answer. She felt her face flush again in embarrassment. “Just a little.”

“My husband owns the diner down the road.” Shay turned the screen towards Allura, allowing her to see the diner’s food options. “Just take a look at the menu, and we’ll get our runner to go and pick it up for you.”

She stuck her hands out. “Oh no, I wouldn’t want to impose-”

“It’s a service we offer with the stay.” Shay tilted her head and smiled sweetly. “Pidge and Rover do it all the time for our guests - it's no trouble at all!”

“Well...if it’s no trouble…” Allura lightly tapped through the menu. “Maybe just the soup of the day and a half salad combo.” Her eyes lit up upon seeing the drinks section. “And a strawberry milkshake. Double whip.” She couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed a milkshake. Lotor had an odd disdain for the frozen drink. It’s not like he forbade her from having one, but he always made sure to make a face whenever she did. Over time, she just removed it from her diet altogether.

“You got it! I can just charge it to your room.” Shay tapped around sideways. “See here, after you select your options, there’s the room service section. You just enter your room number and a four-digit code on the back of the card key. We change it with every new stay.”

“So no one tries to charge to a room if they’re not here,” Allura thought aloud. “That’s very clever.”

“Oh, it was all Hunk’s idea,” Shay lightly blushed at the praise. “He’s really smart like that. He even made an algorithm that selects the codes so we don’t accidentally give out repeated ones.” She let out a shy smile. “That’s how we met. He took over his folks’ diner while I was trying to set up the B&B. I wanted to set up a partnership between his diner and my hotel but I was so awkward about it.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t,” Allura offered as a condolence to Shay’s younger self. “We often cringe at things we did in the past when, in reality, it wasn’t that bad.”

Shay half-covered her face with one hand. “I asked him if he wanted to form an alliance like we were a superhero team.”

Allura laughed, then covered her mouth with her hand. “I-I am sorry.” She giggled a little more when Shay joined her. “That’s just absolutely adorable.”

“Hunk must have thought so, too.” Shay gave a shy smile. “We had coffee later that day.”

Allura’s smile was small. “The beginnings are always the best, aren’t they?” She felt her smile drop and quickly rallied herself mentally. “How long does the food delivery take?” she asked, trying to change the subject. “I might take a shower before.”

If Shay noticed the change in mood, she kept it to herself. “Just about everything at the diner is made to order. But it looks like your order doesn’t require a lot of cooking. It’ll probably be fifteen to twenty minutes, depending on how busy it is over there.”

Allura nodded.

“Oh, wait,” Shay lightly bopped the side of her head. “Shiro’s coming over to fix the heater. He should be here soon so I’d give it at least an hour so you’ll have hot water.”

“He’s here already.” Allura tucked her wallet back into her purse. “He gave me a ride.”

“Oh?” Her eyes had the same glint Hunk’s eyes had earlier. “So you two...know each other?” If Shay was anything like Hunk, she knew exactly where this conversation was going.

“Not exactly....” Allura could feel that stupid flush threatening to creep up with Shay’s big smile. “My car broke down, and he gave me a jump. Now it’s in his shop for repairs.”

“Ohh.” Shay leaned in, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Now Allura was blushing. “We just met today.” She wasn’t usually a blusher but today was proving otherwise, especially with Shay’s smile getting bigger. “He’s my mechanic, Shay.” It only made the situation worse. “We’re practically strangers.” And worse. She straightened her spine and threw her shoulders back. “Is my room upstairs?”

“And to the right.” Shay had her chin in her palm with that same, wide smile. “Want me to let you know when he’s leaving?”

“No, no, that won’t be necessary,” Allura rushed out as politely as she could.

Allura pointedly ignored the urge to look down the flight of stairs leading to the basement, strategically keeping her eyes forward on her own set of stairs. She did her best to tune out the sound of tinkering, but her ears strained to pick up the sound of his voice. She shouldn’t miss it as much as she did.

Heading up the staircase, she wasn’t a bit surprised that this part of the quaint, little inn was just as intricately decorated as the rest of it. The railing was adorned with shiny green and red garlands that twisted and entwined around itself up the staircase towards the upstairs hallway. From the ceiling hung several dozen iridescent snowflakes, each with its own unique pattern. Upon closer inspection, they were made from a paper-like material and personally cut with a steady hand.

Each door in the decked corridor had some sort of festive decor on it. Her room, specifically, had twin ornaments, one a deep purple, the other a subtle shade of pink. Her number plate, covered with pine needles and holly sat between the two. To say it was an overkill was an understatement. However...in the city, the sheer commitment to the holiday would have been corny, but out here, in Snow Castle Falls, surrounded by all things Christmas, it was entirely charming.

The room was basic in comparison to the rest of the inn. Just your average hotel room essentials: bed, bedside table, tv, microwave, and a small table with two matching chairs. To her delight, there was a small nook that worked as a window seat, and the cover on her bed was quilted with different patches of green for a Christmas tree pattern. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was handmade by Hunk or Shay.

The only downside was how cold the room was. She kept her coat on and threw the quilted blanket over herself. “Where’s the thermostat?” She shuffled back to the doorway, almost tripping over the blanket on the way. She muttered to herself as she looked at the device. “Whoever was in here before me must have been a polar bear.”

She pushed some buttons then waddled her way back to the bed. She found the tv remote on the bedside table and amused herself with a holiday special for some background music while she took her time to unwind. A sigh of relief left her lips when she finally peeled her heels off. As much as she loved her extensive collection of heels, they never failed to leave her feet in pain. But damn did she look good.

Deciding to text Coran with the intention of a quick exchange of information and to brag about how cute the inn quickly dissolved into both of them sending the goofiest gifs and holiday memes to pass the time. But they soon said their goodbyes. His annual holiday get together with some old college friends would be starting soon, and the feeling of gratitude washed over her because no matter how busy he was, he always made sure to make time for her.

Her attention drifted back towards the cheesy holiday special that played on the television, however, the more she watched it, the more she found herself turning her phone around in her lap. Her finger tapped anxiously over its edges as she began to bite her lip, fighting the strong impulse to check her emails. The impulse was a habit of hers to check whenever she had downtime but this was her vacation time. No matter how wayward things went since this morning, this was still her break.

This was Vacation Allura.

Vacation Allura relaxed and watched holiday specials in her downtime. Vacation Allura didn’t check her emails religiously out of pure impulse. Vacation Allura was fun. And this...this tv special where she could predict the rudimentary plot just going by title alone but simultaneously couldn’t name a single character within said awful plot was...fun.

Right?

She was on her feet before she realized that she stood up, and left her phone in the middle of the bed just to prove to herself that she didn’t need to check her emails. It’s just that she wanted to.

And she really wanted to.

This was an impulsive habit that she could overcome. And she would. She was a self-declared bad bitch. She didn’t need her phone to run her life. Without her consent, her legs began to pace around the room. Her hand-stitched Christmas blanket, now her festive cape, dragged behind her, tangling itself around her heels, taking them along for the ride for a few steps before depositing them haphazardly along the way.

Allura’s eyes darted towards her phone with a glare. She had turned off the notifications specifically to not look at the messages. But then again...she hadn’t checked them all day. It was making her feel on edge the more she thought about how long it had been. About seven hours and twenty-eight minutes and counting. Now that she thought about it, this was the longest she’d ever gone without checking her emails. A record not even rivaled by sleep. She stared at her unusually quiet phone, somehow hoping that it would buzz to life.

Seven hours and twenty-nine minutes.

She let out a huff. “This is ridiculous. You will not ridicule me.” She turned her back towards her best friend turned enemy to watch the movie playing. She frowned. This movie either forgot its own plot or it’s a completely different special and she was pacing for far longer than she thought she was.

Thinking she heard a phantom of a buzzing sound, she quickly peeked over her shoulder, praying that by some miracle, a message had broken through her do not disturb feature. She realized that she may have had a slight obsession when she realized that her phone hadn’t buzzed, it was just in her head. But what if it did ring? What if she missed it by just a fraction of a second?

Seven hours and thirty minutes.

Another huff.

Whoever said that checking emails wasn’t fun was a lying piece of shit. It was fun to somebody somewhere, and that somebody somewhere might as well be her. With quick hands, like second nature, she reached for her phone, ready to check the dozens of new emails she was bound to have. But then a Christmas Miracle happened.

There was a knock on her door.

“My food,” she gasped, grateful that she was broken from the spell. If anything could fix this, it was a strawberry milkshake. Double whip. “Please, please, please be double whip.” She needed all the help she could get, even if it came in the form of aerated sugar. She kept the tv on and shuffled to the door, dragging her cape along. Her eye caught the thermostat. It was up, but the room wasn’t much different. “The heater must be connected to more than the pipes.”

Hopefully, Shiro will be finished soon.

She opened her door. “Oh,” she blinked at the tall, triangular robot. It reached up to her waist. “Hello there...” her brows lifted when letters appeared along the front, “Rover,” she read aloud. “Is that your name?”

The robot made beeping sounds. More letters appeared, spelling out, “present keycard.”

“Let me see here,” she let go of half the blanket so she could fish into her coat pocket. “Here you are.”

The angular robot with a name scanned it. Soon after, the front split open, revealing a brown takeaway bag and a strawberry shake. “Why, thank you!” She smiled, completely fascinated, and charmed by the delivery method. She leaned down to pull her food out. “May I give you a tip?”

Rover beeped and a small tray slid out. Allura dropped a couple of dollars in. The tray went back in then Rover rotated around to leave. His wheels barely made a sound as he went down the hall.

“Good-bye!” She couldn’t help but wave.

She used her foot to close the door. She was just setting up her meal when there was another knock. “Rover?” She looked down at her containers. “I don’t see anything missing - oh! Maybe it’s the bellhop with my luggage.”

She was half right.

“Hey.” Shiro stood before her door, sleeves rolled up to his forearms and her luggage in his grip. She idly noted that his prosthetic was more than just his hand but her eyes were quickly drawn to his flexing left arm as he lifted her heavy luggage for emphasis. “You forgot these.”

“Oh.” Her eyes reluctantly went back up to his face. “I thought the bellhop would - but this is a homely place,” Allura fiddled with her hair. “I suppose I should have asked.”

He laughed in good humor. “I guess you’re used to snazzy places like the Ritz.”

“The Ritz?” Allura lightly huffed. “Honestly, Shiro. Is that how you see me?”

“Hmm no, on second thought.” He cocked his head a little. “It’s not palace-y enough for you.”

“Oh, stop!” She lightly laughed. “You’re the absolute worst.”

“Actually,” his eyes crinkled at the corners, “I’ve been told I’m quite good.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my!” She put a scandalized hand on her chest. Her lips quirked up. “Is this really proper talk between two strangers?”

He barked out a laugh. “I didn’t mean it that way.” Just as quickly as he said that he broke eye contact. A soft flush crept along the bridge of his nose. This man was going to give her heart problems. He then cleared his throat and gestured with his chin. “Can I -?”

“Yes, of course.” She stepped aside, letting him in; the smell of oil and synthetic candied apples flooded her senses, most likely from a holiday-themed hand soap in the b&b’s bathroom. She had to stop herself from leaning in to chase the scent. “You can just leave it by the bed,” she said, managing to pull herself together.

“I fixed the heater.” He lightly grunted as he placed the luggage. “So you have hot water now, Princess.” His eyes darted to the table where her takeout sat. “I’ll get out of your hair so you can finish eating.”

“I just started,” she said. “If anything, I keep bothering you.” Her eyes went soft. “Thank you for all your help, Shiro.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He extended his hand, palm facing up. She clasped it and shook his hand. He chuckled. “That, too, but that’s not what I wanted.”

“A tip?” She dramatically sighed. “Oh, alright.” She lifted her chin. “Both Oxfords and Brogues are fine. It depends on the rest of your outfit.”

He made a face. “...What?”

“It’s a fashion tip, Shiro.” She went to the door expectantly. “You need to be specific about what you want. I am not a mind reader.”

He walked over as she talked, making sure to pause right in front of her. She lightly swallowed as he leaned over almost a head taller than her. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” His hand went above her head. Her breath caught in her throat. “Good night, Allura.” Her hand automatically went up to her chest in surprise; he hadn’t addressed her with her name since she gave it. She never thought her name could sound so lovely. He pulled the door closed on his way out but not before glancing back at her.

She let out a slow breath. “Oh, he was just grabbing the door,” she scolded herself. For a second, she thought he leaned in to... She gave her cheeks a sharp pat. “Never mind that.” This was real life, not one of those clichéd Christmas movies. She went back to the table to eat. She had a milkshake to enjoy.

.//.~.~.\\\\.

Allura didn’t remember what she was dreaming about exactly. All she could recall was a pair of hooded grey eyes behind a tuft of white hair and the feeling of his breath against her lips before the image faded away.

Her phone sounded shrill in the darkness.

She grumbled as she blindly swatted her hand at the bedside table. Even with the heater now working, she was in no mood to get out from the safe haven of her warm blankets. With a getaway as her destination, she had packed her luxurious silk nighties instead of her thicker pajamas. Most high-end resorts had an overcompensating heating system so she would have been fine. Unfortunately, that’s not where she was right now. She grabbed her phone with a small, half-hearted “Ahah!” She pulled her cell under the veil of warmth she had created. She recognized the ringtone as a call she should pick up, but in her groggy state, she didn’t recall who she had selected this ringtone for.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded so croaky. Whatever. It was late.

“Allura.”

“Lotor.” She sat up immediately, eyes wide with excitement from finally being able to hear her fiancé’s voice. “I’ve been tryin-”

“Where on Earth are you? The front desk said you haven’t checked in yet.”

She gave a slow blink. If he had to ask an employee of the resort, then he hadn’t even been to their room since his arrival. She squinted at the digital clock by the bedside. “Stars Lotor, it’s midnight!” It took him that long to notice she wasn’t there yet? She could feel her temples ache with an oncoming migraine. “I missed the flight, but my car broke down so now I have to wait.”

“You’re not making sense, Allura.”

She threw off the blanket from her legs. “I took a call from the ambassador of Bolivia, “she got up and began walking around her room, “which caused me to miss my flight. I came back to the office to grab a car and decided to just drive to the resort. But the car broke down midway through the drive, and now I have to wait until it’s fixed.”

There was silence on the line. His voice sounded distant as if he were speaking to someone else then there was the sound of a door. She bit her thumbnail as she waited for him to speak again.

“Are you telling me,” he started slowly, evenly, but she knew from experience that it was the pretense of calmness, “that you’re stranded somewhere because you decided it was better to drive rather than wait for the next flight?”

“It’s only a five-hour drive, Lotor.” She started to pace by the window seat. “Waiting for the next flight would have been longer. I would have been there already if my car hadn’t given up on me.”

“But it did break down and now I’m stuck here alone to handle the meetings.”

“The spare part will be here in a couple of days - five at the most.” She bunched up the smooth fabric of her nightgown. “I’ll join you and the senator then if there’s still business to finish.”

“Five days? How do you expect me to convince the senators to transition their state’s energy source to your panels without you here to properly explain and work on the wives?”

“Did you just say, senators? As in plural?” Anger bubbled in her stomach. One senator was bad enough, but now it was multiple? “I didn’t tell you to do business on our vacation. I didn’t even have a say about this meeting because you never spoke to me about it. Instead, I woke up to your stupid note and a cold, empty bed!”

“I took this meeting for you and our future.”

“This romantic vacation is for our future.” Hot tears started stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “We could have traveled together. We could have had a laugh about missing our flight and took a road trip like we used to. Do you remember that? Like how we went to the vineyard out in the countryside, or to take a weekend trip in your yacht.” She took a shaky breath in. “Instead, I’m stuck over here and you’re over there, turning our trip into a work endeavor-”

She covered her mouth to keep from talking. Her voice was starting to break at the end of that last sentence. She hated feeling this vulnerable especially when she couldn’t even see his face for a reaction. He was silent on the other end while she tried pulling herself together.

“Allura,” his voice was quiet.

It was the tone of voice that left her wanting more, endlessly hoping. It was the voice of the person that first drew her in and continued to promise her sweet things, wonderful things - someday - if she’d just hang on for a little while longer. It was one of her greatest weaknesses. And he was very aware of it.

“Do you remember when you had your first company meeting with the stockholders?” He continued without waiting for her response. “You were just a girl from the Research and Development department. You didn’t normally host the Big Wig meetings. You were so nervous about going out there.” He made a sympathetic click with his tongue. “Afterwards you threw up in your office trash can while I held your hair back.” Tears started falling as she saw where he was going with this. “You told me you wanted to do better: to turn your father’s company into a worthy legacy. Do you remember that?”

She nodded through her tears. Then she recalled he couldn’t see her.

“Yes,” her voice faltered. “I do.”

“That’s all I’m trying to do, Allura,” he calmly soothed. “But it takes work. We both knew that when we decided to expand.”

She slowly nodded again but did not voice it out loud.

“It’s late and I’m sure you’re tired.” His voice went conversational, “I’ll move around the meeting with the panel discussion and focus on entertaining the senators until you arrive.”

“...Or you could come join me here until the car is fixed. Then we could travel back together to reconvene with the senators.” Her fingers skimmed the edge of the curtains to peek outside. It was still dark but she could make out the strings of lights around the town. “It’s a beautiful place.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. There’s still a lot of groundwork for me to do before you arrive.” There was the sound of a door and someone’s boisterous laughter while calling out to Lotor. Lotor’s voice went distant again as he spoke to the newcomer. “I need to go. Call me when you have an ETA. We’ll get through this, Allura. Just be patient. Then we can have time to ourselves. They have a Christmas Eve gala we can go to.”

“Yes, I did see that in the brochure.”

“We just need to work a little bit. Then we can enjoy ourselves. Together.”

She let go of the curtain. “Good night, Lotor.”

“Night, Allura.” He casually added, “We’ll discuss how to handle situations like this when you get here. It’s good to have backup plans in place to prevent hasty decision making.”

“But I-”

The line was dead. She sat on the edge of the window seat looking at her phone. She finally hung up on her end after a minute. She put her hands together and bent over, leaning her forehead against her folded hands. There was still that flicker inside of her that wanted to believe in him and what he told her. A relationship takes work. It wasn’t always going to be easy. Isn’t that what they say?

Her fingers went to her left hand only to find it empty.

“My ring -” she groaned out loud. “It’s still in the glove compartment.” She sighed long. At least she knew where it was. She looked at her phone again, bit her lip, and went into her emails. “Oh, great,” she muttered. There were so many of them. But she had her away message set up so they’d just call a manager if it was an emergency. She should have checked them earlier. If she checked them when she wanted to, they wouldn’t have piled up like this.

“Maybe...just a couple.” She shivered, having been out from under the blankets too long.

She went back to the bed with the bedside lamp on and typed.

*

Allura hardly slept after that call.

She added some eye makeup and concealer so it wasn’t obvious how tired she was, then a little bit of gloss to her lips rather than her usual lipstick. She didn’t feel like fussing around with a bold lip color today. She yawned behind her hand as she went down the stairs. To her satisfaction, Shay was sat down by the front podium. She had a soft beige ombré sweater that looked comfy. Allura had on a simpler black sweater with white stripes, black trousers, and heeled boots. Her hair was in a bun tighter than she would have liked it.

“Good morning, Allura!”

“Morning, Shay.” Allura withheld the urge to yawn again. “Do you know where I can get a cappuccino?”

The kind woman thought for a second. “Ah...no, I’m sorry. But you could try Hunk’s diner! Did you sleep well?” Shay’s smile curled a little. “Shiro was quick to fix the heater last night.”

“I slept fine, thank you.” Allura’s phone pinged. “Please excuse me.”

“Oh, sure.” Shay blinked as Allura walked away typing on her phone. “Just take a left for Hunk’s diner once you step outside.”

The smile she sent Shay didn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you.”

Allura paused in answering her email to shrug on her coat. Then she was back on it. She walked slower as she typed then went to her normal speed once she finished the message. She didn’t notice much on her walk over but then again, she hadn’t had her caffeine yet. Although overcast, she was grateful she was able to put her shades on. Her eyes were already angry at her for staying up so late.

The diner looked like what she expected on the outside. Big windows, brick walls with colored lights hanging from the eaves. When she went inside she didn’t expect the impressive, large mural of a yellow lion on the back wall. She had to take off her shades to see it better.

“Well, that’s a first.”

“Oh, hey!” Hunk came around from behind the long bar seating. “Allura, right? It’s good to see you!” She let out an undignified sound as she was bear-hugged. “Come in, sit down. Have something to eat!” He looked around the area, scanning for a table for the woman. “There’s a seat over there. You ok with a booth?”

“I don’t mind.” She mustered a smile as Hunk led her to the seat. “Please tell me you offer cappuccinos.”

Hunk placed the menu in front of her. “I got regular and decaf.”

She hung her head in defeat. “Regular coffee then. With nothing else added to it, please.”

Hunk let out a low whistle. “It’s strong. You sure about that?”

“Trust me, I can handle it.” Her phone pinged. “Oh, excuse me.”

“Sure. Just give me a holler when you’re ready to order.” Hunk walked away. In a booth diagonal to her, Hunk paused. “Slow down, Keith! Yikes.”

Allura looked up from getting her phone out. There was a boy with messy black hair and a red coat demolishing a stack of pancakes. The kid gave Hunk a grumpy look but took a smaller bite just to please the adult. He must have felt eyes on him because he looked over at Allura. She offered a small wave. The kid didn’t return it, just gave her a suspicious look before he kept eating while maintaining eye contact.

“Alrighty then...” She looked down at her menu, seeing the words ‘The Watering Hole’ as the name of the place. The specials had “lion” tacked at the end of the titles. “He must really like lions,” she murmured under her breath. She turned the page. Her phone pinged again. “Oh, shoot!” She grabbed her phone and started typing again.

“Did you decide?” Hunk called out from behind the bar seating.

“Oh, uh, just eggs benedict,” she said as politely as she could without looking up from her phone.

She kept typing when someone brought her coffee. She idly lifted the cup as she read the next message. It felt never-ending. Her brows furrowed at the thought. But she was the boss and she had goals to meet. Technically, she never clocks out. She had forgotten about that. There was a sudden exhale behind her that made her shiver as the breath ghosted the back of her ear.

“Mornin’, Princess.”

“Holy hell!”

She nearly dropped her phone into her mug. Shiro was leaning over the back of her booth with a big grin on his face. She rubbed her ear as it still felt tickled from his breath.

“I need to talk to whoever taught you how to sneak up on people because we need to have a serious conversation about etiquette.”

“What can I say?” Shiro gave a hearty laugh. “I get inspired around you.” He stood up from the booth behind her. “Mmm, good choice. Hunk makes a great hollandaise.” He frowned when he got a better look at her plate. “You haven’t eaten yet.” He touched the edge of the plate. “Princess, your dish is cold. I can ask Hunk to -”

She looked down at the plate. She hadn’t even realized Hunk brought it out. How long had it been? “No, this is fine,” she reassured, continuing to respond to email after email.

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Her tone wasn’t as pleasant as either of them had liked. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

The sound of Allura’s nails tapping against her phone’s screen floated in the air around them both. Allura felt a heaviness weighing down on her shoulders and the beginnings of a headache were already forming. There was simply so much to do. So many decisions to make, emails to answer, guidance to provide, and there was only more work ahead of her.

As always though, this was fine.

She would be just fine.

The work would be fine.

Her life was fine.

She sighed and didn’t see the frown on Shiro’s face deepen. “Well, if you say so.” He put his hands in his silver vest pockets. “Keith and I are going ice skating. You’re more than welcome to join us. It’s right smack in the middle of town. Can’t miss it.”

“Uh-huh,” she absentmindedly replied.

“Ya know,” he used his forefinger to lower her phone, “you’re allowed to enjoy your break. Even if Snow Castle Falls is just a pit stop for you.”

She looked at his hand then traveled up his arm to his face. His brows were furrowed in concern. “I appreciate the offer.” She moved her phone from his forefinger. “But I really must work. Not everyone has the luxury of stopping work whenever they feel like it.” She had to remind herself of that. She was the boss and the boss needed to look out for the success of the company. Vacation Allura was only a distraction, she thought, and returned to her email.

“...You sound really busy.” He made a soft tsk. “Well, don’t let me get in your way.” He turned away from her. “You ready, Keith?”

“Yup.” The kid’s plate was completely cleared.

Shiro grabbed Keith’s red duffle bag from under the table. He turned back to Allura. “I’ll double-check and see if the part can be expedited.”

That made her stop typing. “Oh.” Her heart clenched at the thought of leaving earlier. But that’s what she should have wanted, wasn’t it? To be at the resort already? “You don’t have to do that.”

He half shrugged. “You seem ready to move on from this town.”

There was something off in his tone. Disappointment? Her earlier comment...Did he think she was talking about him? It was quite the opposite. “Shiro.” He kept his eyes on the kid. She offended him, she was so sure of it. After everything he’d done for her, she slighted him. That fact doused her like cold water. “I-I didn’t mean to-”

“Keith!” Yelled out a kid in a blue puffy jacket in the doorway of the diner. The suddenness startled her but the other diners just kept eating. “You ready to eat snow?”

Keith scowled. “You’re the one going to eat snow!”

“Alright kiddo,” Shiro pushed Keith to move, “what did I say about yelling indoors?”

Keith huffed. “Lance started it.”

They talked as they walked. Allura couldn’t get in another word. She sat up in her booth hoping to catch his eye one more time, hoping he’d see her remorse. Shiro didn’t look back. She turned forward and sat down hard. Of all the people she could have been rude to, she just had to offend the one person whose opinion she cared about the most in this town. She bit the inside of her cheek as her eyes prickled. A waitress came by to freshen up her coffee. She looked at her phone on the table and then her plate of food.

“Excuse me!” She called back her server. “Could I please get this reheated?”

*

Allura tried to keep working but her attention was divided.

She was on her bed, phone in her lap with a half-typed out message. “I should go.” Then, she shook her head and frowned. “No, I shouldn’t. They’re probably gone by now.” Ice skating was an amusement, not work. On the other hand, this was supposed to be her break. And she wasn’t really taking it, was she? “Oh bother.” She covered her face with her hands. “What should I do?”

She uncovered her face to look at the snowglobe on the side table. What would Coran say, if he was here?

“For heaven’s sake,” she growled out to herself. “You’re going.” She also needed to apologize to Shiro. The comment in the diner had been directed at herself, not him, and it was crucial that she made that clear. She looked down at her phone to save the email but the screen was black. “It died? Well, I should probably charge it while I’m out.” She rummaged through her luggage. Then her purse. The charger wasn’t in either. She went back to the luggage and completely tipped out all the contents. The purse got the same treatment. “Shit,” she groaned into her hands. Then she smacked her cheeks to get a grip. “Worry about that later.”

She was probably the last person Shiro wanted to see right now but on the other hand, it had been ages since she ice skated. She put on a sparkly pastel green sweater that was thick and soft. She felt her mood brighten just putting the sweater on. Sparkly things always lifted her spirit. Moving on, she freshened up her eye makeup so she didn’t look like a zombie. Shiro was right. Just because she wasn’t at the resort didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun. She highly doubted Lotor had been all business at midnight when he called her.

“You already put in some work,” she said to herself. “It’s ok to go out for a bit.” She nodded to herself, putting on her matching pastel green earmuffs. “It’s fine.” She pursed her lips, took off the earmuffs, and took her hair out of the bun. “Too formal. Casual? Do I even remember what that looks like?” She settled for a ponytail. She looked at her light green eyeshadow. “I can do semi-casual.” The earmuffs boxed her ears when she snapped them back on. “Ow!”

She put her cream-colored coat on and walked out of her room. She passed Shay on the stairwell then backed up. “Shay?” The other woman turned around with that pleasant smile. “I’m sorry that I was incredibly dismissive this morning, and I wanted to personally apologize to you for that.”

Shay offered a smile. “Oh, no you weren’t.”

“Don’t sugar coat it, I was an absolute gremlin. In fact, give me coal. I don’t deserve anything sweet.”

Shay softly laughed. “Allura, we’re ok. My feelings weren’t hurt, I promise.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now go on out!” Shay gestured to the door. “It’s the season of joy. Enjoy the town!”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Allura laughed while holding her hands up. “Oh wait, Shay? Do you happen to have a phone charger for this model?”

“Wow, that’s thin.” Shay curiously peered at Allura’s sleek pastel pink phone. “This is what I got.”

Allura felt a chill as Shay slid an actual keyboard from under her thicker phone’s screen. “Ah, I see. Well, nevermind then. Thought I’d ask.”

“Hunk might have what you’re looking for!”

Like the cappuccino? Allura tiredly thought. The b&b had some innovative tech but in terms of the everyday commodity, they were strangely behind. Louder, she responded, “I’ll be sure to ask if I see him!”

This time, Allura was alert on her walk. The snow fell some more last night, making crunching sounds under her heeled boots. There were more people out and about now that it was later in the day. People posed under mistletoe arches and took photos with reindeer hedges with big red bows. Shiro did say the town drew in tourists.

“The center of town…”

That’s where the rink was supposed to be. Or, ‘follow the string of people headed towards the center.’ Seemed easy enough. Soon, she saw people gliding behind the snow-dusted low walls. But it wasn’t a rink. It was a frozen lake. Laughter filled the air the closer she got. Kids wobbled on their skates as they slid onto the ice. Groups skated around in circles. Kids of varying ages dressed in figure skating attire looked like they were practicing toe jumps and others working on their upright spins. Nearby, on a cemented patio was a snack shack and popcorn station. Kettle corn, she’d say, judging by the sweetness wafting in the air. It really was a Winter Wonderland. There was only one problem.

“I don’t have skates.” Allura softly cursed. “They’d have rentals if there are tourists, right?”

She tried the snack shack first. The rentals were actually on the other side of the lake. Carefully, she walked around in her heeled boots. She needed to consider adding sensible hiking shoes to her closet. Maybe Armani had some. She made a mental note to ask her secretary to order her some.

Thankfully, many people had already walked this way, making a path for her to easily follow. After telling the teen working the rental booth her shoe size, she watched the people already on the ice.

“Here you go.”

A pair of white, clean skates were presented to her. “Thank you.” She reached inside her purse only to meet air. She didn’t bring her bag with her. “Oh, dear. I don’t have my wallet.” She patted her coat and pulled out her room keycard. “Could I charge it to my room at Hunk and Shay’s place? The Den?”

The teen scratched their colored hair. “Uh, how would I do that?”

“Is the rental not connected to the b&b’s system? Like the diner is?”

The girl shrugged. “I really doubt it.”

“Here,” came a young voice. The kid behind Allura slapped down some bills. Allura could only stare at his familiar red coat and messy black hair. “That’ll cover it, right?”

“I don’t need the fiver.”

Keith took the bill back. He turned to Allura with an expectant brow lift. She grabbed the skates with a quick thanks. The kid walked out of line with her.

“Thank you...Keith, right?”

“Yup.”

“I’ll pay you back once I get back to my room.” She shifted the skates so they hung off her shoulder.

“Shiro’s still on the ice,” Keith answered when she looked around them. “I just left to go to the bathroom.”

“I see.”

“Do you?”

“What?”

Keith harrumphed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s not my job to tell you.” He made a head gesture and walked without looking back at her. She took it that he wanted her to follow. He pulled out a lollipop from his pocket. “Want one?”

“Ah no, thank you.”

“But it’s red,” he said, almost offended that she declined the best candy flavor.

“Well, in that case, don’t mind if I do.” She held back a laugh as she took the red lollipop and put it in her coat pocket.

He nodded, happy she was finally seeing reason and started heading towards some benches. Allura quickened her pace. This side of the ice had fewer people but they were mostly kids around Keith’s age. That’s how she was able to see Shiro on the ice so easily. He glided among them smoothly, fixed one kid’s grip on the hockey stick then rotated around to fix the stance of another. She could hear his voice but not the words he was saying. They were by a small bench when Keith suddenly turned, making her halt.

“You have to wait. We were waiting for you earlier but now it’s hockey practice.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to make you wait.”

Keith shrugged again. That seemed to be the kid’s signature. “We’re halfway through. You can sit in the penalty box,” he said gesturing towards the small bench beside them.

“Alright.” Allura smiled, taking in the irony that she was placed in the penalty box. “Thank you, Keith.”

The kid grunted and went back on the ice. Allura took a couple more steps towards the ‘penalty box.’ She was easing herself to sit when a bark startled her. “Ah!” She plopped onto the bench with zero grace, given the way her tailbone was throbbing. The familiar white fluffy dog quickly made his way through the snow from heavens knew where. She still had that initial wariness due to the size of the dog, but it was easier to push aside when he came up to her and sat by her side in the box. He wouldn’t approach unless she told him to.

“Hello, Cosmo,” she said hesitantly, and the dog made a face at the sound. “You’re just as bad as your owner with your greetings, are you aware of that?”

The white dog looked at her expectantly but stayed his distance. The smallest of whines left his mouth and he looked like he mustered up the saddest possible face he could. The look was enough to pull at her heartstrings, and reluctantly, going off of faith that he wouldn’t bite her, she stuck a shaky hand out towards him. Kosmo looked at her hand then at her with his head tilted to the side, his ears flopping comically. He sniffed her fingers before he slowly eased himself into her touch, letting her control the pace. Only when her hand started to move in slow, cautious circles on his head, did he allow himself to move closer to her.

Allura’s eyes grew wide at the action. She hadn’t thought she’d ever seen such a well-trained dog before. “Oh, my...,” she said only loud enough for the two of them to hear. “You’re so soft.” It was like he could understand her encouraging words because Kosmo leaned in closer to her, slowly placing his head into her lap, tail wagging happily behind him. He clearly loved the attention. Shiro was right: he did have a main character complex.

At the thought of his owner, Allura looked up. Shiro was already looking over. She felt her heartbeat quicken. Was he still upset with her from her rudeness in the diner? She wouldn’t blame him. He turned back to the kids, said something over the noise, then blew a whistle that hung around his neck. The kids dispersed into pairs for drills, she assumed, and that was enough of a break to allow Shiro to skate over to her. She buried her trembling hands into Kosmo’s fur, hoping to shield them away from him. Why on earth did she think this was a good idea?

“Allura.” He slid to a stop in a way that she’d only seen hockey players do on TV. “You made it.”

She grabbed some fur for support and felt Kosmo nuzzle her leg and his tail lightly curl into her arm. “According to Keith, I’m very late.”

“Nah,” he said with a shake of his head. “It’s never too late to ice skate.” He looked back at the kids then to her. “We just got some exercises to do and then I’ll call it a day. Do you think you can wait?” His voice sounded almost hopeful.

She nodded, hiding her enthusiasm. “Of course.”

“Alright, sounds good.” He leaned down and gave Kosmo’s side a good rub. “Looks like you won her over, buddy! Congratulations.” He looked back to address Allura. “Did he get you with those sad, puppy dog eyes?”

“How did you know?” she asked, still timidly petting the gentle giant.

“He does that when he wants you to feel sorry for him,” he said through a laugh. “Works every time.”He turned his attention back towards Kosmo. “Do me a favor, buddy, and keep her warm for me until I get back. Stiffness isn’t good for the ice.”

He started to turn away, but before he could fully leave, something in her told her to just get her apology out now. “Shiro,” she called out. She waited for him to turn back. Unlike the diner, he did. It eased her slightly but her nerves were still taut. “I’m sorry.”

He raised a brow. “For what?”

“For my behavior in Hunk’s diner. I-I’m afraid I lashed out at you.”

He looked slightly amused, by the quirk of his lips. “If that was you lashing out, I’d hate to see you when you get really upset.”

“I’m being serious, Shiro.”

“Allura,” he said, a firm line replacing his smile, “you have nothing to apologize for. We all have our off days.”

He accepted already, just like Shay did. Straight off the bat, no lengthy explanations needed, no scolding her for having poor manners, or manipulating her into thinking that she was being selfish. She didn’t realize she was crying until Shiro knelt in front of her. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m -” she cut herself off with a shuddering breath in. It came to her in that sharp, cool breath. His response had been nothing like Lotor’s last night. She quickly swept under her eyes with her hands as water still leaked out. “I just keep messing up-”

“Hey.” He rubbed her arms soothingly. “Hey, hey. It’s ok. Come here.” He pulled her in. The tears came out faster. She turned her face into his shoulder and wept out the bottled-up stress. “It’s ok. You’ll be ok.”

Kosmo whined and wiggled out from between them. The sound made her let out a watery laugh. She turned her head to the side as the tears subsided. He slowly pulled away enough to allow him the space to wipe her eyes with the corner of his sleeve.

“It’s okay, Allura,” he repeated softly. She turned her head a little but he gently turned it back with her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You’re definitely overdue for a vacation.” His voice held sympathy. “Let me just get under here...unless you like the punk rock look.”

“This eyeliner was supposed to be waterproof,” she sullenly pouted.

“I’d get my money back if I were you, Princess.”

She giggled and then snorted. She flushed instantly. First, she cried all over him and now she let out that sound. “Oh god,” she groaned pitifully. “Forget you heard that.”

“Why? It was cute.”

“It’s the sound a pig makes.”

“Pigs can be cute, though.”

“Since when?” she frowned.

“Since 1995,” he said, taken aback. “So you’re going to look me in the eye and tell me that you’ve never seen Babe?”

Allura, sniffed, still trying to get herself under control. “I’ll be sure to put it on my watch list.”

Shiro shook his head. “Don’t even bother. It’s a boring movie that has one quotable moment.” Allura laughed at the confession. “But the point is, that pig was really cute. Close your eyes real quick.”

She did as she was told. She felt him lightly rubbing around her eyes. She just had to put on makeup today, didn’t she? “How bad is it?” She cracked one eye open.

He shrugged. Now she knows where Keith gets it from. “Could be worse.”

“Shiro, that’s exactly the wrong thing to say.”

“It’s not that bad. Honestly, it looks like a smokey eye except it’s only smokey on the bottom. I think you could start a new eye makeup trend.”

She opened her eyes. He was very close. She could even see the rings of gray in his irises. “Unfair,” she murmured aloud.

“What is?”

“Your lashes are longer than mine.”

He chuckled. She could feel his breath against her lips. She was drawn back to her dream from last night. She flushed prettily. His own cheeks were touched with faint pink.

“Yours are definitely longer, Princess.”

Just when her fingertips reached up to touch the warmth of his cheek, Kosmo barked repeatedly. They quickly pulled apart.

“I told you he likes to be the center of attention,” he muttered out, hoping to hide the words from his needy dog.

Allura nodded, her face heated. She turned towards the ice. “Oh, my.” She lifted a dainty hand to her cheek and pointed with the other. “Shiro.”

He looked where she was pointing. “Ah, crap.” The kids were using their hockey sticks as swords, aiming for the throat with each and every swing. Undoubtedly started by none other than Keith and Lance. “Sorry, I need to -”

“Go,” she finished for him.

He put the silver whistle in his mouth and sounded it out as he skated over. She shook her head as a couple of kids tried taking Shiro on but he was too quick for them. She gasped when he grabbed Keith, and threw him up and over his shoulder while getting another kid from around the midsection. She let out a mirthful laugh when the kids lunged for him and they all fell over.

She switched out her boots while Shiro helped the kids up. Then they dispersed again except half of them went to the edge and off the ice. Practice must have ended. She eyed the ice and then looked at Kosmo.

“It’s like riding a bike, right?” Kosmo yawned widely, silently judging her. She gave herself a little pep talk. “Oh, what the hell.” She stood upright at the edge where ice and snow met and stepped onto the ice. Only to promptly fall flat on her butt. “Ohh, that’s colder than I remember,” she said to herself while getting up onto her knees.

A gloved hand came into her view, and she didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“That was a spectacular fall,” Shiro praised as she took his hand, “10 out of 10.”

Once steady on her feet, she responded, “Oh, shush!” She tried to push his shoulder but then started losing her balance. Shiro quickly grabbed onto her arm, firmly steadying her. “Don’t let go,” she begged while trying to regain her balance.

“And leave you here stranded like a newborn deer?” he joked. “Never.”

She wrinkled her nose as she looked down at her feet. She adjusted her stance but her feet wobbled on the ice. She threw out her other hand and grasped his other forearm.

“Don’t let me go yet!”

With a smile he said, “I said I’m not leaving you. I meant it.” He put his black skate along with one of her feet and she felt her weight shift on the skate’s blade. “It’s better to skate at a slight angle; the blades are hollow ground so there is a groove at the bottom of the blade that creates two edges. So you should skate on one of the edges rather than on both.”

Her arms started to flail as he adjusted her feet but he kept his hold along her forearms. Her heart rate started going back to normal when she realized she was standing upright and felt a little better.

“Ok.” She licked her lips. “Alright.”

“You want me to keep-”

“No, you can let go. But slowly!”

“You sure?”

“Shiro, neither one of us will be able to skate like this.” She took the initiative and loosened her grip on his forearms. “Ok. This is good.” He slowly eased his grip on her arms. She started to try walking rather than skating on the ice. “Ok!” She wasn’t anywhere as smooth as Shiro, but she was doing the baby steps. “This is good. Look at me go. Are you looking? Look.”

“Um…”

“What was that?” She looked over her shoulder. Big mistake. That tiny movement of her head was all her body needed to lose all sense of balance. “Ahh!” She fell onto her back with a hard thud. It wasn’t as bad as falling on concrete but the cold was leaking into her back. She stared up at the clouds blankly. Shiro’s head soon popped into her view. “Ah, yes, there you are.” She lifted her arms. “May I have some assistance?”

“Sure. Just one question, though.” He put his hand to his mouth and then dropped it. “Have you ever ice skated before?”

“Once,” she said, lifting a finger. “When I was eight. Or was I seven? I honestly could have been nine. I don’t quite remember at the moment, unfortunately.”

He chortled behind his hand. “Yeeeeah,” he drawled out, “I’m gonna need to show you the basics before you can do anything worth looking at.” He leaned down and got his arm under her knees and the other supported her back. “Up we go, Princess!”

She let out a yelp as he picked her up in his arms. “I can walk!”

“Not on the ice you can’t. Not yet anyway.” He placed her on the bench. “First thing: lacing.” He tutted right away. “Ok, this needs to be tight. Hang on, let me redo this.” He tugged and pulled at the crisscrossed lacework. He eyed her heeled boots on the bench. “I don’t even know how you wear those in the snow.”

She lifted her chin. “With confidence.”

He laughed loudly. “Yeah, I don’t doubt it.”

Once laced up, he extended his hand for hers, and she took it with a shy smile. The way he was treating her was endearing. From anyone else, it might have been condescending but his smile was too sincere for her to take it as anything underhanded or haughty. She gripped his arm tightly before she could fall on her butt again.

“Ok,” she quickly gripped him with two hands, one on his shoulder and the other his forearm, “it’s not a slippery feeling.” She released her hold on his shoulder. “I think I’m getting used to it.”

“Good! That's an improvement already.” He went at her pace, keeping his arm out for her to hold on. “Wanna try a short glide?”

She perked up, recalling how amazing he glided earlier. “Yes!”

“You want to move your feet at an angle so it creates a ‘V’ shape, leading with your dominant foot first, then bring your other foot to finish the ‘V.’ But don’t take long strides just yet.”

“A ‘V’...” Her eyes were glued to her feet and her brows furrowed in concentration. “So right foot first…” Unknowingly, she stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. “Le-e-efft!” She wobbled, sliding her foot out of range.

Shiro appeared beside her sliding to a stop while holding on to her arm, effectively halting both of them. “You ok?”

“Yeah,” she lightly laughed. “Could I try again?”

“You can try as many times as you want, Allura.” He can’t be saying her name like that if she was going to stay focused. He held her arms as he effortless skated backward, supporting and guiding her with ease. He watched her posture and did his best to correct it by lifting her arms at a higher angle. His smile was ever-present while they glided together and she could tell he was very much enjoying teaching her to skate. She found his smile very distracting though and she was trying to focus on each step, but he smiled with his eyes and it was such a lovely sight. When she saw his eyes dip down to her own lips, however, her distraction allowed her skates to find something to trip on and she stumbled into his arms again.

“Maybe we should add practicing how to stop, too,” he said and let go of her arms then. “An easy way to stop is to drag your back foot at a perpendicular angle. You’ll slow down and come to a top that way. Like this.” He took one gliding step to the side and then dragged his back foot, coming slowly to a stop.

“When you’re practicing your short glide, it’s better to keep going with the momentum. Just tell yourself, ‘right, left, right.’ Let’s do the first set together. Ready?” He moved to stand beside her and offered his arm to her. She gave a nod, placing a hand on his forearm while her eyes looked down at her skates. “So right...left...right…”

“Left,” she said with him. “Right. Left.” Her hand eased from his forearm. Yoga was finally paying off. “Right.” A smile started blooming. “Left!” She was ahead of him. She laughed as she started speeding up, still calling out her mantra. “Right! Left! Right!”

“Allura,” Shiro called out, “slow down.”

“And let you breeze by me?” she teased. She even risked turning her head to stick her tongue out at him. “Not a chance!” She looked back down, pushing herself to speed up. There was some shouting. She looked up. She was heading straight for the edge of the lake. “Shiro! How do I turn?!”

“Lead with your right foot! Lean into it!”

“But how??” She dragged her left foot too long. She tried stopping by angling her right foot as he showed her but suddenly she started to spin. “Oh, my giddy uncle!” Her arms were flailing again and all she could think about was how she was going to fall flat on her face, and it was going to hurt.

The sound of rapid skating coming closer rang out from somewhere around her. “Hang on!” Shiro grabbed her and he was quick enough to stop the momentum. He rotated them quickly. Allura let out a half shriek as her feet were no longer touching the ground. “Brace yo-oomph!!” They slid across the ice and into the snowy bank. Shiro had wrapped his arms around her to take the brunt of the fall and she was now on top of him and in his embrace. They were both breathing hard. She could hear his heart thudding from the adrenaline. “Anything hurt? Ankles good? Head?”

She lifted her head from his chest. “I-I’m ok.” Her eyes bulged when she realized he was under her. “Ooh, I’m sorry!” She rolled off of him and into a pocket of deep snow. She let out a high shriek as the iciness encased her upper body. Her hands flailed in the air until Shiro grabbed her and hoisted her up. “Ooh, that’s cold!”

There must have been some kids around them because she heard a high pitched voice speak up. It was the same kid with the blue jacket from the diner - Lance if she recalled right.

“You got snow on you.” Lance pulled out his blue lollipop. “You’re a snow fairy.” He turned to Keith and smacked his shoulder. “Ey, she could sub since Pidge doesn’t want to do it.”

Allura paused in knocking the snow off of her. These children were speaking very casually after watching her almost meet her end. “A substitute for what?” She arched her back, hissing as snow touched her skin before gliding down in chunks.

“Our Christmas play. We do it every year.” Lance gestured to Shiro with his lollipop. “Tell her, coach.”

“Well, I mean,” Shiro rubbed the back of his neck, “we don’t have a sugar plum fairy. You don’t have to do much. But really, it’s only if you want to do it. The whole town gets involved.”

She curiously tilted her head. “What role do you have?”

Shiro’s lips quirked. “I’m a tree.”

“Tree Number Seven,” Keith clarified.

“Oh, I see.” She barely withheld the urge to laugh but she couldn’t stop the smile. “That’s a very important tree.”

“It is a very important tree,” Shiro said seriously. “What good is a Christmas play without the proper foliage?”

Lance stepped forward. “So will you do it?”

She looked at him and then back to Shiro. She didn’t want to commit to something when she had no idea how long she was going to be staying here. Given the popularity of The Sugar Plum Fairy, she didn’t want to ruin it if she suddenly had to leave to meet up with Lotor. “I don’t know…”

Lance handed his blue lollipop over to Keith, who took it blankly while rolling his eyes before he dramatically brought his gloved hand to his forehead in a distressed fashion. “But what about the children?” he whined out with a fake suburban housewife accent.

Shiro groaned at the theatrics and Allura raised a brow. “What children?”

Lance straightened up. “It's me: I’m children,” he said quickly. “So are you going to do it? You’re going to let me, a kind stranger, down on if you don’t. I’m only a child. It's literally Christmas, and it's also my birthday, so this’ll just be a favor.”

“Your birthday is in July,” Keith said with a monotone voice. He hadn’t said much, but he kept his eyes on Allura, looking for a response from her.

“Okay, Keith, AND?” Lance said, his tone rising. “Do you always need to find a way to ruin everything? Anyway, it's still Christmas and we still don’t have a Sugar Plum Fairy.” The eccentric child looked towards Shiro, hoping to use the adult to persuade the other. “Coach?”

This child was already too much for her to handle, and she just met him. She looked towards Shiro, and he gave her a small shrug. She’d never been in a play but she’d learned to act in the business world. That qualified her plenty, didn’t it? Maybe now she’d actually enjoy earning that Oscar.

She let out a breath. “Sure,” she said reluctantly, “Why not?”

Lance took his candy back from Keith. “Sweet,” he said, satisfied with her answer. “Meet back here tomorrow morning at 5 am.”

Allura’s eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

“I’m only kidding, SPF,” he said, already turning to skate away, Keith trailing behind him. “I have no idea when rehearsal is. Just don’t be late.”

Allura watched the two skate away with a confused look. “What just happened.”

“You,” Shiro started as he brushed himself off, “just signed your soul over to The Nutcracker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that we hate Lotor in this story? Oh, the drama! The Romance! The Fluff! Yes! Well, we really hope you loved it as much as we loved writing it!

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have it, our first chapter! Please leave us some love because we love feeding you guys. See you all again shortly!


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